House History

Charlotte Roderuck’s career at Iowa State spanned nearly forty years as a professor and eventually the director of the World Food Institute. Her dedication to research is clear from her breadth of publication, and she paved the way for future female scientists and researchers at Iowa State. Roderuck received her undergraduate training in chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1940 and completed her master’s work in Organic Chemistry at the State College of Washington (Washington State University) in 1942. Finally, she received her Doctor of Philosophy in Biochemistry from the University of Iowa in 1949. On June 22, 1948 Roderuck accepted a position on the Food and Nutrition faculty at Iowa State University from Dr. Pearl Swanson. Roderuck conducted extensive research on the elements of nutrition, including protein, cholesterol, and the role of fats in nutrition, lecithin, calcium, 4 amino acids, saccharides, vitamin E, folic aid, and vitamin B. She also concentrated her scholarship on children, producing articles that explored the relationship of nutrition to a child’s growth. One such article explored the effect malnutrition had on learning. She served as Assistant Dean of the Graduate College from 1971 to 1972, Assistant Director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station from 1973 to 1975, and an Associate Dean of Home Economic Administration from 1975 to 1978. In 1977 Roderuck became the Director of the World Food Institute at Iowa State University, serving as director until October 31, 1988 when she retired. Under her guidance, the Institute hosted the World Food Conference in 1976.